Chapter 1356: Arrival in Evereska, The Cloudtop Banquet

When poor, cultivate your own virtue; when successful, improve the world.

The Elves may not have heard this proverb, but the principle within it is quite self-evident!

The so-called "world" can be as small as a single nation or as large as the entire Elf World; from this perspective, Ilfaran may not necessarily be willing to remain an ally of Netheril forever.

To a certain extent, they and Cormanthor should be the best of allies—one in the east, one in the west—befriending the distant while attacking the near. Afterward, whether negotiating a merger or deciding the victor through a single battle, both would be the most consistent with the overall interests of the Elves.

What led to the current situation? When will this situation change?

Xia Duo shook his head and silently recited a proverb from a Sage of his homeland in his heart: "The human heart is dangerous, the Dao heart is subtle; be refined, be single-minded, and hold fast to the middle."

……

Not long after, Iolum and Badijiaer appeared in the lounge. Both had a hint of joy on their faces, and Xia Duo immediately understood that the Portal between the Arcane Union and Ailintar must have been completed, and perhaps there were other things as well.

As for Badijiaer, Xia Duo had no way to guess, but he estimated it was nothing bad.

"Prepare to depart. There is still a banquet to attend in Evereska; don't let them wait for us too long."

At Badijiaer's command, everyone's emotions were stirred, whether because of the legendary, extravagant, and indulgent Elf banquet, or because they could move about freely once they reached Evereska.

In short, even Xia Duo felt much more relaxed.

Here, although the Ailintar side treated them with good food and drink, it felt somewhat like being in prison. Of course, one could go out, but there would be Elves watching, and without sufficient Mythallar Permission, many areas were inaccessible.

Not to mention, Badijiaer hadn't said they could go out shopping from the start, so everyone had sat in the lounge for nearly an entire afternoon, which was truly boring to the extreme.

……

From Ailintar to Evereska, there was also an independent Portal, built in a Dome Hall similar to the pavilion building where the Seventon Portal was located.

Xia Duo and the others arrived by riding the floating stone slabs as before. What Xia Duo did not expect was that the one going to attend the signing ceremony for Ilfaran was the Crown King himself.

Of course, there were also some accompanying personnel, and even some Commoners had already passed through the Portal ahead of time.

When Xia Duo and the others arrived, they saw quite a few Elf tourists who were clearly there for private reasons passing through the Portal.

And the Ilfaran Crown King, under the guard of two teams of Unicorn Knights, waved to Xia Duo and the others. Then, after one team of knights entered the Portal, he led more than twenty accompanying Elves into the Portal.

The other team of knights brought up the rear.

Clearly, the Ilfaran Crown King and his party could have gone through earlier; they waited until now just to wait for the people from Netheril.

"Let's go over! Lord Irusk and King Besmoer have also come!" Badijiaer said, leading everyone toward the Portal.

When he reached the vicinity of the Portal, he paused slightly, imitated the previous manner of the Ilfaran Crown King, greeted Lord Irusk and King Besmoer, and then walked into the Portal without looking back.

……

Evereska, Cloudtop Tower.

Xia Duo walked out of the Portal, and the first thing that caught his eye was the mountain barrier in the distance, which was like an iron bucket, even though he had known about the geographical environment of Evereska before coming.

But when he saw it all with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but marvel, though it was a pity it was in a world of Magic.

If this were on Earth, such an environment would simply be an impregnable place. Of course, if it were on Earth, it would not be an easy task to raise such a large population in a valley surrounded by mountains.

The position Xia Duo was in now was just right; while being able to see the mountain barrier in the distance, he could also see the Evereska urban area divided by a radial network of water.

This one glance saved him a lot of effort wandering around the city later.

Just then, the reception staff who had been waiting for a long time, a tall and beautiful Moon Elf maid, walked up to the group, bowed neither servilely nor overbearingly, and said:

"Distinguished guests from Netheril, please follow me. The Elders have already arranged accommodations for you all!"

Badijiaer and Iolum looked at each other, nodded in unison, and followed behind the Moon Elf maid to the floor above the Cloudtop Tower where the Portal was located.

On the way, this maid who called herself "Lunaxisi" also briefly introduced the Cloudtop Tower where they currently were—

"This is the residence of the Council of Elders, their Consultants, and High Mages. It is also one of the most powerful magical buildings in Evereska, and even more so, the core Node of the Evereska Mythallar.

"Here, you can be absolutely assured of your safety! After you have chosen your accommodations, the Elders have also prepared a sumptuous banquet for the guests from afar at the Cloud Crown Palace on the top floor."

As she was speaking, the group had already reached the guest rooms. Xia Duo had no special requirements for his accommodation; he just chose one next to Iolum's room.

As for the others, some chose the cantilevered terrace-style accommodations extending from the tower, while others chose garden villas with a distinct Elf style.

Even Beilaila chose a small, exquisite room with a feminine touch. As for Angelin, like Xia Duo, he didn't pick specifically and chose the one next to Badijiaer.

……

Afterward, it was the banquet. Xia Duo didn't know how many times he had witnessed Elf banquets in the Projection Plane, but no matter how many times he experienced it, he still wasn't quite used to such overly indulgent occasions.

But fortunately, one could leave an Elf banquet at any time; as long as one waited for the host of the banquet to finish their speech, one could move about freely.

Of course, correspondingly, if one encountered a banquet being held by a family in an Elf city, generally speaking, even a Commoner could participate at will to mix in for food and drink.

Of course, the premise is that the host of the banquet is not a racist; if a Wood Elf insists on crashing a Gold Elf's banquet, they can only blame themselves for being unwelcome.

In addition, most young members of Upper Families may not like being at the same banquet as Commoners, so in actual situations, to avoid being kicked out or beaten up, Commoners generally do not choose to take the risk.

There is only one special case, and that is when a High Mage is present; this situation can even transcend class. (It does not transcend race; if the High Mage is a racist, forcing one's way in might just be seeking one's own death. Most Cormanthor High Mages, as long as they are Gold Elves, have racist tendencies.)

……

Cloud Crown Palace.

As soon as Xia Duo arrived here, he felt gazes like substance cast upon him, which made him somewhat uncomfortable, but these were things he would encounter often in the future.

Thus, he could only pretend to be lighthearted and calm, meeting the gazes of the representatives of various nations—whether kind, malicious, scrutinizing, or probing—with composure.

After exchanging greetings with the Evereska Elders and the representatives of the various nations, Xia Duo sat down behind Iolum. Looking at the humans, Elves, and Dwarves in the great hall, each with their own hidden agendas, he knew that tonight might not be a pleasant banquet!